DAPCHI GIRLS: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

DAPCHI GIRLS: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS

RECENTLY, MORE THAN 100 girls who had been abducted by the Islamic militant group Boko Haram from a Nigerian school in Dapchi in February were released to their families. The return of these girls from abduction seem to be a drama, in quote, as all the militant groups that brought them were being hailed by people as if those girls just travelled to a country where they won a football competition and were coming back with the trophy.  Another drama was that all the girls came back with travelling bags as if they went for shopping in the land of the Boko Haram militants. 

We were also told by some media that some of the girls were naked during the time of abduction, how come they came back wearing nice fitting clothes with hijabs.  The way the girls looked, it seems some of them will even like to go back with the Boko Haram militants because of the treatment they enjoyed over there.   It was reported that about 5 girls died while they took the journey to the unknown but the government reported that no life was lost in that incident.  Who is actually fooling who? 

It is a welcome development that the Dapchi girls are all back home but it is not all a rosy story. Meanwhile, it is a surprising episode to see the pictures and watch  the video of Dapchi residents cheering on and waving at Boko Haram insurgents as they dropped off the "missing" girls. It was clear that the Dapchi residents regarded the terrorists as heroes and you could be tempted to ask yourself the following question, "Are we really one country?"  So many questions need to be answered. For example how do you explain the Ghana Must Go bags that the girls were carrying on their return? Did they go shopping in Sambisa Forest? Or is it that when they abducted them they gave them time to pack all their clothes and allowed them to bring them back when freed? Why did the Federal Government tell the international media that the girls were dropped off in Dapchi at 3.00am in the morning when the footage and pictures of their return prove that the whole thing was done in broad daylight? Could it be that the government did not pay any ransom in return for the girls?

It is common knowledge in intelligence and security circles that vast sums of money could have been paid to the terrorists. The point is that the whole drama seemed to have been planned and agreed on well before the abduction ever took place. As the terrorists entered the town with the girls they were hailed as heroes and received like freedom fighters by the locals and not as if they were terrorists. Some reports suggest that the massive crowd that received them were even chanting "holy warriors" in Hausa as they marched through the streets. The implications of these are obvious and clear to the discerning. Apart from the fact that they made vast sums of money in their deal with the authorities, they will now use the money to buy more arms and organise more abductions.

The narrative that they would not have abducted the girls had they known they were Muslims, though false, seems to have resonated with the local Muslim population in the north and this can only help Boko Haram and swell its ranks. Someone is giving them very good advice and counsel and it could be suspected that that person or groups of persons are also in one or more of our intelligence and security agencies.  A terrible precedence has been set and we shall rue the day that this was done. The government believes that it will boost its ratings and increase its popularity by these shameless scams, manouverings and subterfuge but as the truth begins to unfold, and be rest assured that it eventually  will, the whole exercise will backfire badly. In the end it will lead to more enmity, more division, more bitterness and more violence.

The truth is that the Dapchi incident is the biggest and most dangerous scam and money-making venture in the history of Nigerian politics and those poor little girls are just pawns in a much bigger game and wider picture. The fact of the matter is that Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen trade in blood, death and terror. There  is no law and there is no democracy in Nigeria. This is a lawless and dangerous  country  where  anything can happen and anything is possible because the machinery  of government has been high-jacked by the emissaries of hell and the Kingdom of Darkness.

Are the sponsors of Boko Haram telling Nigerians that they have declared war against Christianity? How come that Liya Sharibu, the only Christian amongst them, was not released because of her faith? They decided to keep her in captivity. Christians should continue to pray for her and her family. May God console them, give them strength and avenge them. If she is still alive we pray that God touches their hearts and that they release her. We call on God, the Lord of the Universe, the Ancient of Days, the Lord of Hosts, the Great Avenger and the God of all Flesh, to avenge us and remove these cow lovers and sons of the Bonded Woman from the seat and corridors of power. We pray that the Lord delivers us and wipes away our tears and collective shame.

The father of Liya has this to say: "All of them were released. They said some were dead there and my daughter is alive but they cannot release her because she is a Christian. They gave her the option of converting in order to be released but she said she will never become a Muslim. I am very sad but I am also jubilating too because my daughter did not denounce her faith". This is a courageous man and a great soldier of Christ. May the Lord return his daughter, gladden his heart and grant him peace and joy. God be with the young and beautiful Liya. God be with us all. How many of us Christians can demonstrate this type of faith and conviction?  So many of us have abandoned Christ at the slightest provocation or torture but Liya has demonstrated that even in the shadow of death she will fear no evil. Liya has decided to follow Jesus and no turning back.

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